Johnny Cash

Here’s something for those who appreciate good music. While not everyone is into Johnny Cash – I can actually count the people I know personally who listen to him with one hand – you can’t really deny his genius. This man has been called the one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, and rightly so! He’s probably known by most as a country singer, but his fans know very well that his music spans a whole lot of other genres.

So what is The Johnny Cash Project all about? Does the name Chris Milk ring a bell? He’s the music video director behind some of the greatest videos of our time. He has worked with artists such as U2, Kanye West, Green Day, and Audioslave, among others.

This year, he embarked on this project, which one can very well call “music video crowdsourcing.” What he did was to take the last song that the “Man in Black” recorded in the studio: Ain’t No Grave. Anyone who has heard this song will probably agree with me in saying that it is one of most haunting songs you’ll ever hear. The song, by the way, is part of the posthumous album, American VI: Ain’t No Grave, which was released in February 23 of this year.

More than merely creating a music video, though, Chris Milk decided to call upon the resources of the countless Johnny Cash fans out there. He created the web site and encouraged (encourages) people to share their own rendition of a Johnny Cash portrait. These portraits are then put together to create the video. As the project is a continuous one, you can imagine that the video is an ever changing work of art.

I have to tell you – this is one moving piece of work! I won’t even dare to describe it – you can watch it for yourself below. Trust me, it is the perfect video to watch on All Saints’/All Souls’ Day.

As I finished watching that video, I couldn’t help but remember some lines from the movie The Book of Eli:

Eli: It doesn’t have to make sense. It’s faith, it’s faith. It’s the flower of light in the field of darkness that’s giving me the strength to carry on. You understand?
Solara: Is that from your book?
Eli: No, it’s, uh, Johnny Cash, Live at Folsom Prison.

Yeah, Johnny Cash can inspire you like that, and Chris Milk did a pretty good job with this project as well!

For more information on the project, or if you want to join in, visit the official web site of The Johnny Cash Project.